A Different Pyrrha
by Tf2sniper326
Summary: Instead of the polite and proper champion of Mistral, Pyrrha is a foul mouthed street punk forced to flee to Beacon when she crosses the wrong mob boss. How will this affect the story of RWBY? Well it won't be a smooth ride I'll tell you that much. Semi-competent but still fairly helpless Jaune. Slow burn romance. Rating subject to change.
1. Prologue

Pyrrha made her way down a dark alleyway. Normally one would avoid such a place, especially at night, but this particular alleyway was the only way to get to the Pit's locker room. The fact that this alley was frequented by some of the meanest fighters in Kuchinashi, (if not all of Mistral) meant that almost no one would ever lie and wait there. So Pyrrha was quite surprised when she saw someone standing in front of the door.

She glared at the man standing in her way. He towered over her at 6 foot 6, had a shaven head and was wearing aviator glasses with a dark suit and tie. The whole ensemble screamed 'I AM A MAFIA THUG' in the most insecure way possible. She crossed her arms and raised her eyebrow.

"Is there a particular reason you're standing in front of a teenage girl's changing room?" she demanded.

The man didn't answer. Instead, he reached into his inner coat pocket. Pyrrha tensed, but then relaxed when the man pulled out a thick envelope. He offered it to her, and she took it.

"You go down after three minutes," growled the man, then he left before Pyrrha could respond.

She rolled her eyes. If that dumbass had asked anyone who knew her at all he'd know that she didn't take bribes. He was even dumb enough to give her the money before the fight started. No promise of future payment, no threat if she didn't comply, there was literally nothing stopping her from taking the money, and beating the everliving shit out of her opponent.

 _Well, I guess they might come after me. But a bunch of thugs for a dumbass wannabe mob leader who doesn't know shit about rigging fights? I think I can handle that._

She pushed open the door to her changing room and walked inside, tearing the envelope open as she headed for the bench. She paused when she saw the contents, and let out a low whistle. A thick brick of lien was inside, at least half an inch thick. She pulled it out of the envelope and flipped through it, all 100 lien bills.

 _Oum almighty, how rich is this guy?_

Usually when someone tried to bribe her, she'd get a couple hundred lien at best. Whoever was trying to buy this fight was either desperate, or stupidly rich. Pyrrha wasn't sure which was more dangerous.

She shook herself, and walked over to the bench to sit down. She took off her black backpack and placed it in front of her. She unzipped it, reached inside, pulled out a roll of bandages, and started wrapping her hands. As she was doing so, she kept glancing at the money.

 _If they're desperate then they'll throw everything they have at me to get the money back. If they're stupid rich then they'll either ignore me, or send a small army to make an example of me_ _._

She couldn't give the money back at this point, angry mobsters were never good listeners, and if people were sent after her for breaking this deal, they'd be very angry. The smart thing to do would be to take the money and do as she was told. The bribe was several times larger than what she'd get for winning, and would last for months. She'd be well off and no one would be trying to put a bullet through her skull.

On the other hand, doing what she was told meant becoming someone's bitch. Accepting that money was a sign that she could be bribed, and would mean they'd come back to do it again. Even if she got another brick of cash every time, there was no way in hell Pyrrha was going to live her life getting her shit kicked in for money.

Plus, she had her reputation to think about. Part of it was for pride, but the wrong rep could get you killed on the street. If she started losing every fight in the pit, her reputation would go from: 'that girl you DO NOT fuck with' to 'that weakling with tits'. Pyrrha could handle herself against pretty much anyone, but beating off losers looking for a quick fuck could get her in trouble with the cops. Again, she might be able to handle it but it was a shit ton more trouble than she needed.

 _Fucked if I take it, fucked if I don't._

Pyrrha finished wrapping her hands, and stared at the money. A loud banging interrupted her musings.

"Hey Nikki! Your fight's about to start. You ready yet?" called the announcer.

"Calm your tits Reggie, I'm on my way," said Pyrrha. She stood up and took off her black t-shirt. Underneath was a red sports bra that matched her shorts. She ran her hands over the top of her head and felt the base of her short ponytail.

She sighed, let her hands drop, and headed for the arena entrance.

 _Might as well get it over with._

She opened the door, and stepped out of the locker room. The Pit, as it was referred to by any who frequented it, was an old boxing stadium. No one was sure why it had been abandoned, but it was the perfect battleground for illegal underground fights. Plenty of seats for the spectators, and even though the ring was falling into disrepair, it was still functional.

Pyrrha left the locker room just in time to see the referee call the previous match. A shirtless, dark-skinned, dog-eared Faunus was lying on the ground while a pale, portly man with brown hair seemed to drink in the crowd's cheers. He gestured for the crowd to keep cheering, even after the Faunus had left the ring. At one point he even broke into a stupid little dance.

Pyrrha's eye twitched.

 _There is no way in HELL I'm losing to that retarded asswipe._

She grit her teeth and stomped over to the ring. Once she was there she hopped onto the platform, then grabbed the top rope and swung herself over. The man noticed her, smirked, then went to his corner. Pyrrha cracked her knuckles and headed to her own. There wasn't a stool to sit on, so she leaned against the corner pole and rested her arms on the ropes.

Reggie then stepped into the ring. He was a short, fat, bald man wearing jeans and a leather jacket. He held his microphone up to his lips.

"ALLLRIIIGHT EVERYBODY!" he shouted. "We've had some great fights this evening, but now it's time for the main event! Can this mysterious new comer, who fought his way through all our regulars, beat the unbeatable Pyrrha Nikos? Fuck if I know, but it should be fun to watch!"

The crowd cheered, Pyrrha rolled her eyes. The idea that this fucktard beat any Pit regular was laughable at best. He probably bribed his way through them like he tried to do with her. Reggie got out of the ring and the referee called for the two of them to get ready. As Pyrrha raised her fists, she pondered just how she should humiliate this loser.

 _Eh, I'll just go with the classic._

The ref called for the fight to start and backman backed off. Pyrrha and the man slowly made their way towards each other. When he was in range, the man threw a clumsy right jab. Pyrrha ducked beneath it, then shot out her left arm, to right between the man's legs. She grabbed onto his balls, and clamped down.

The man shrieked.

He began hopping from foot to foot. Alternately screaming and begging her to let go. Pyrrha smirked, squeezed even tighter, then cocked back her right fist and smashed it into the man's face. He nose caved with a satisfying 'CRUNCH', and he fell onto his back. Pyrrha had let him go at this point and began circling him. The man had rolled onto his side, curled up into a ball and was whimpering, but still conscious and therefore hadn't lost yet.

Pyrrha paused next to the man's face. When he arched his head back, she kicked it, full force. The man was rolled onto his back, and he lay there moaning. Pyrrha stepped over him, grabbed his hair, and pulled him up.

"Where's your money now, bitch?" She slammed a right hook into his face, and he was knocked back to the ground. Out cold.

Pyrrha stood up and walked over to a neutral corner, waiting for the ref to call it. No one was cheering, probably in shock that the fight was over so quickly. Or because of how she took him down. when the ref declared her the winner the crowd out over their shock and cheered a little. Probably disappointed that the fight had been over so quickly.

Reggie climbed back into the ring and made the closing announcements. Pyrrha barely listened, she'd heard it all before. When Reggie finished the crowd started filing towards the exits and he walked over to her.

"A little over the top there, Nikki," he said with a smirk.

"Fucker tried to bribe me, and don't call me Nikki," said Pyrrha.

"Ah, come on Nikki, I know you love that nickname."

"Yeah, and you 'love' the whore you have waiting for you in your apartment."

"Which one?" asked Reggie, his smirk growing even larger.

Pyrrha's eyes widened for a moment, then she shook her head and smiled.

"You're going straight to hell, you know that?" she asked.

"Yeah, I know. That's why I'm gonna live this life to the fullest!"

Pyrrha snorted.

"Whatever, you gonna give me my damn lien or are you gonna talk all night?"

"I believe you just aptly demonstrated what happens to people who piss you off, so I won't take up anymore of your time," said Reggie. He pulled out a wad of bills from his back pocket and started counting.

"Here ya go, 200 lien."

Pyrrha grunted and took the money.

"Hey, you know the rules. Short fights mean short entertainment which means low pay," said Reggie.

"I know, I know. That doesn't mean I have to like it," said Pyrrha. She pocketed the money, then sighed and looked her friend in the eye.

"Listen, I'm probably gonna have to lay low for awhile," she said.

"Why? You've screwed over bribers before. What's different about this one?" asked Reggie.

"This one gave me a half inch thick brick of hundred lien bills."

Reggie's eyes bulged, and he let out a low whistle.

"Oum almighty Nikki, who the hell'd ya piss off?"

"No idea, someone rich. Probably a stupid move to make them mad but there was no way in hell I'd ever lose to an asswipe like that. Plus, even if guy was a decent fighter there's no way I'm becoming someone's bitch," said Pyrrha.

Reggie nodded.

"I get it. Well, business might slow down for awhile without you, but I'll survive. Come back alive alright?"

"Sure, just get me a decent fight next time," Pyrrha swung herself over the ropes and hopped onto the floor. "See ya Reggie."

"Later Nikki!"

Pyrrha flipped him off without looking back and entered the locker room. She walked over to her things and sat at the bench, then she tossed the money and bandage roll into her backpack. She briefly pondered whether or not to put her shirt on and unwrap the bandages, but decided against it. She had just screwed over someone with a lot of money, probably best to remain on guard until they lost interest in her.

She tossed her shirt into her backpack, closed it, then slid it onto her shoulders. She got up and walked to the locker room door. She paused, sighed, then pushed it open and stepped out.

Right into the sights of a Red Dust model pistol. Said pistol was being pointed at her head by the insecure thug who gave her the bribe. Pyrrha glanced past him. He was flanked by two others, one armed with a red katana on the left and one with a pair of brass knuckles on the right. Appearance wise the only difference between them and the original was that the two newcomers had dark colored hair cut into crew cuts.

Pyrrha returned her gaze to the thug who had her at gunpoint.

"You guys work fast. I didn't expect you to come after me this quickly," she said.

"You have no idea who you're messing with you-"

Pyrrha's left hand shot up and knocked the gun upward, then she smashed her right fist into the thug's stomach. He doubled over from the unexpected pain. Pyrrha let go of his gun hand, brought both of her hands to the back of his skull, and slammed it into her knee. Both the thugs glasses and nose broke with a loud 'CRUNCH'. The man dropped his pistol and began stumbling backward in pain. Pyrrha kicked the gun away then shoved the man toward the thug with brass knuckles. He caught the stumbling man, but he had to back up a few steps to recover his balance.

While the other two were occupied Pyrrha charged the thug with the katana. He was so stunned by her sudden attack that he was only now getting onto a ready position. Pyrrha grabbed his sword arm before he could finish. She held it as far away from her as she could and shoved the man against the alley wall. Her left hand still keeping the sword away, Pyrrha raised her right fist and smashed it into the man's face. His head snapped back, smacked into the brick wall, and bounced forward. Pyrrha hit him again, and again.

Before she could land a fourth punch the man dropped, out cold.

"YOU GODDAMNED BITCH!" yelled the thug with the brass knuckles. He charged Pyrrha's back and threw a punch. Pyrrha jumped out of the way and spun around to face him. The man didn't let up, he charged again and threw a left hook at her head. She ducked beneath it then lunged and tackled the man to the ground. She pushed her upper body up, making sure to keep the man pinned, and cocked back her fist.

A powerful kick crashed into her nose before she could react. She was launched off the man and onto her back. She felt blood trickling out of her nose and onto her lips but she ignored it and jumped back to her feet. The original thug stood behind the downed one, blood coloring his otherwise black shoe.

"Out of my way, Slim. She's mine," he growled. The now named Slim clambered onto his feet.

"No way, she's gonna pay for what she did to Butch."

"So many big, strong, men fighting over me! Whatever shall I do?" asked Pyrrha in mock despair.

Slim growled and charged again. Pyrrha had to stop herself from rolling her eyes. She side-stepped his sloppy punch, grabbed his arm and the side of his head, and slammed it into the alley wall. He crumpled and fell to the ground, moaning.

Pyrrha turned back to the thug.

"You hired that piece of shit?"

The man shrugged.

"It's his first night, we didn't expect any-"

Pyrrha charged him before he could finish. He recovered and caught a punch aimed for his face.

"Did you really thin-"

Pyrrha smashed her foot up between his legs.

He cried out in agony and dropped her. She watched as he backed up and tripped over himself onto his back. She walked up to his prone form with a smirk on her face.

 _Works every time._

She pinned him with her knee, then smashed punches into his face until he lost consciousness. His face was swollen and bloody by the time she was done.

Pyrrha stood up and headed for the alleyway exit, unwrapping her bandages as she went.

 _Hopefully that'll send a message to whoever sent them, i.e. I am NOT to be fucked with. I'll probably have to do this a few more times but eventually they'll have to figure that coming after me is just not worth it._

When she stepped out of the alley she froze. In front of her was a small army of thugs, at least twenty or thirty, all armed, all standing next to matching large black cars. The thugs noticed her, the ones with guns raised them and told her to surrender, the ones with close quarters weapons started to approach her. Pyrrha looked around, there was no way out, she was surrounded.

 _Fuuuuuck_

She raised her hands over her head. The moment she did she felt something whoosh past her. Pyrrha had to blink a few times because of the sudden wind, but when she recovered her jaw about hit the floor.

A white blur was zooming from thug to thug, sending them flying through the air. Other thugs tried to regroup but the blur was too fast. It knocked them all aside and at soon enough every single thug was down.

Pyrrha blinked. Then blinked again. She rubbed her eyes and smacked herself, but what she saw did not change. Twenty to thirty thugs had been taken down by one man, IN LESS THAN THIRTY SECONDS!

Now that the blur had stopped moving Pyrrha could see that it was indeed a man who had saved her. Said man had dark hair, stubble around his jaw, and red eyes. He was wearing a gray dress shirt, black pants and a dark red cape. The most prominent feature however, was the massive sword he held over his shoulder.

The man glanced around at the downed thugs, then turned to Pyrrha.

"Ya know, a part of me was hoping you'd somehow be able to take 'em all out by yourself, but I guess that's asking for too much," he drawled. His sword made a few clanking noises and the tip retracted. The man then placed it horizontally onto his back.

"You have any idea who you just crossed, girly?" he asked.

It took a moment for Pyrrha to find her voice.

"S-someone rich?"

The man rolled his eyes and pulled out a flask.

"Someone rich. Well, I guess that is an accurate description of the guy, if not a very complete one," he took a swig. "But Dante Santana is undeniably a rich man. Anyone who practically owned Mistral's underground would have to be."

Pyrrha's eyes just about bulged out of her skull.

"Dante Santana! THE Dante Santana! The number one mob boss in all of Mistral!? That's the guy I pissed off?!"

"Yep."

"Why the everliving FUCK would Santana conduct business in this rundown shithole!?" demanded Pyrrha.

"He wouldn't, but his son likes to think he's hot shit without daddy's help. So he sometimes goes to underground fights not controlled by his old man, and buys his way to the top. You just squeezed the balls of the son of the most powerful criminal in Mistral, and humiliated him in front of over a hundred people. Even if Dante hates the little shit, he's got a reputation to protect."

"And now when the asswipe goes crying to daddy I'm gonna have half the crooks in Mistral after my head," Pyrrha turned to the nearest wall and pressed her head against it. "Fffffuuuuuuuck."

"That's a pretty accurate assessment. But I might be able to help you out," said the man.

Pyrrha turned back to the man and glared. She knew what kind of deal this was gonna be. The man in front of her held all the cards, if she didn't do as he said she was good as dead. She was helpless, and Pyrrha fucking hated that.

"And what the hell does a Huntsman want from a Pit fighter?" she asked.

"Don't get too hostile there, girly. Remember, I'm the one chance you got at getting out of this mess," said the man.

Pyrrha bit back a growl and nodded.

"Right, before we begin I'll introduce myself. Don't bother doing the same, I got your name from the announcer. My name's Qrow, and you're right, I'm a Huntsman. What you probably didn't figure out was that I'm a Huntsman from Vale," he said.

Pyrrha raised an eyebrow.

"What're you doing out here?" she asked.

"Classified, Nikki," said Qrow.

Pyrrha grit her teeth.

"You haven't answered my question. What the hell does a Huntsman from Vale want with a Pit fighter from Kuchinashi?"

"Isn't it obvious? I want you to come to Beacon Academy in Vale to train to be a Huntress," said Qrow.

Pyrrha stared at him.

"Are you serious?"

"Yeah, I'm serious. You'd go to Vale, a whole continent away from your troubles, train to the point where thugs like these mean nothing, and you'd get four years of free food and a roof over your head. So what do you say?"

Pyrrha bit her lip, the deal sounded pretty good. Huntresses led a life of constant danger but she wasn't exactly playing it safe with her current lifestyle either. She'd be far away from her troubles and like Qrow said, she'd train to the point where they meant almost nothing. It sounded too good to be true.

And when things felt that way, they usually were.

"What's the catch?" she demanded.

"Huntresses don't exactly have safe jobs-" began Qrow.

"Neither do Pit fighters. More than a few people have died in there. Now what's the catch and why do you want me?" she asked.

"I'm telling you the truth here kid, other than the hazardous occupation, no catch," said Qrow. "As for why I want you, well it's a bit hard to explain."

"Try me."

Qrow sighed.

"Remnant has never been a safe place, and it probably never will be thanks to the Grim. That said, we've had quite a few years of peace now. I welcome the break just as much as the next guy, but it's making some of the new students soft. They fight fine, correct form, precise strikes, coordinated teamwork, but none of them know how to be mean, or how to react when someone fights dirty," Qrow paused and pointed at her.

"You on the other hand, have been fighting mean and fighting against mean, dirty opponents for a least a few years now. You could give the students a glimpse of what they're up against in the real world. When things like honor or rules mean jack shit," Qrow paused again to take another swig from his flask.

"That a good enough explanation?"

Pyrrha thought it over. She didn't know much about history but she heard from time to time that things in Remnant used to be a lot worse. It made sense that, if this was relative peace, regular people would be getting softer than they used to be. Pyrrha was anything but soft, and Qrow seemed to think that would help. She mentally examined every part of the deal, and couldn't find anything suspicious. One thing still bothered her though.

"You really think I'm good enough? I mean, I know I'm good but," she gestured to the downed thugs, "Shouldn't even a Huntress in training be able to take them all down?"

"Yeah, they should. They also have weapons and armor, something you currently lack. If we can find you the right weapon, I have a feeling you'd be able to take down that many chumps no problem," said Qrow.

"You really think so?" asked Pyrrha.

Qrow nodded.

"Alright, but where are we gonna find a weapon for me to use? And how long do I have to learn to use it?"

"There's a weapons shop not far from here with an owner who owes me a favor. As for time, not long. The initiation test is a little over a week away, and it takes a few days by airship to get to Vale. So we'll find you something simple, but deadly. If you're agreeing to come along that is," said Qrow.

Pyrrha sighed.

"Not like I have much choice, let's go to the weapons shop then get the fuck out of here."

"You don't have anything to pick up before we go?" asked Qrow.

Pyrrha patted her backpack.

"Everything I need's in here. Scroll, lien, bandages."

"Clothes?"

"I got a brick of hundred lien bills in here. I think I can afford a little shopping."

Qrow shrugged.

"Alright, follow me."

Thankfully the shop wasn't far away. Just a few blocks outside of the bad part of Kuchinashi, the Pit being a marker for the beginning of said bad part. Pyrrha looked at the single story shop. It was an unassuming building, not even a sign above the door. If she hadn't been able to look between the shades and see the rows of weapons, she'd have assumed they were in the wrong place.

"How's your friend gonna know we're here?" asked Pyrrha.

"He sleeps in the back, all we gotta do is pound on the door," said Qrow.

"You know it's like eleven at night, right?" asked Pyrrha.

Qrow shrugged and began pounding on the door.

"Hey Russ! Open up!" he called.

After a minute or two the door opened to reveal a middle aged, brown-red haired man wearing a t-shirt and jeans.

"Oum's sake Qrow, keep it down! You're gonna wake up the whole damn block," he said.

"Yeah well, I need to call in that favor and it can't wait," said Qrow.

"I told you if I heard or saw anything I'd tell you right away," said Russ.

"Change of plans," Qrow gestured to Pyrrha. "She needs a weapon and some armor and it can't wait."

"Why the hell not?" demanded Russ.

"I beat the shit out of Dante Santana's son after he tried to bribe me to lose the fight," said Pyrrha. "Qrow agreed to get me out of here if I agreed to become a Huntress. I did but now I need the proper equipment."

Russ stared at her, then grinned.

"You beat the shit out of Carlos Santana?"

"Squeezed his balls till they popped."

Russ gave a great belly laugh, clutching his stomach and rearing back laughing. When he calmed down he wiped a tear from his eye.

"Serves the little shit right. Goddamn, I would've paid good money to see that. Come on in," he ushered Pyrrha and Qrow into his shop. He hadn't switched on the lights yet but quickly fixed that. With the room illuminated Pyrrha could properly admire all the weapons on display. Everything from Dust swords to shotgun axes to rocket launcher spears were on display, along with several weapons Pyrrha couldn't properly identify.

"Sorry sweetheart. I'd usually let a customer browse and try weapons out in the back, but at the moment that would wake up the entire neighborhood. Something neither of us want right now. So follow me to the counter, tell me your fighting style and I'll try to find a match," said Russ.

He led her to the back of the shop. Qrow hung back, leaning on one of the shelves near the door. Pyrrha couldn't quite tell if he was standing guard or not. On the one hand he was in the perfect position, on the other, he was drinking. A lot.

Pyrrha decided to ignore him and looked back at Russ. They had reached the counter and he climbed over, then turned back to face her.

"Right then, sorry miss but I didn't catch your name," said Russ.

"Pyrrha Nikos."

"Russ Flae. Now with that out of the way, have you ever used a weapon before?" he asked.

Pyrrha shook her head.

"Maybe a bottle or stool in a bar fight, but other than that I stick to hand to hand," she said.

"Fisticuffs or kicks?"

"Mainly fisticuffs, some kicks thrown in now and then."

"Know anything about Dust?"

"Jack shit."

"Right, ever fired a gun before?"

"My aim's shit, never bothered to improve much. Guns attract cops."

Russ nodded.

"Okay, okay. So a brawler type weapon, no reliance on Dust, no gun attachments," Russ had opened up a computer he had on the counter and typed a few things into it.

"You're in luck, I have something that just might work. Had to keep it in the back since these days everyone wants some kind of attachment. You might have to change up your style a bit, but not too much. Lemme go grab them," Russ stepped away from his computer and headed through a door behind him.

He was gone for about a minute, then returned with a box that was a little bit larger than a large shoebox. He opened it and pulled out two silver gauntlets. They were shaped like thin ovals that had been pressed in one side to form bowls. They were long enough to cover her hands and forearms, and from the looks of it, would protect the top part of her forearms and the striking part of her fist. Pyrrha turned one of the gauntlets over to examine the underside. What was there were two adjustable leather straps, one near where her wrist would be and one near the back of the gauntlet. In the area where her fist would go, there was a bar for her to grab onto, with a button on it.

Pyrrha raised an eyebrow.

"It'll be more fun if you try them on and find out yourself," said Russ.

Pyrrha shrugged and picked up the left gauntlet. She undid the straps, slid her arm inside, then strapped it on. She tried flexing her wrist, but found that she couldn't, the outer protection prevented her from flexing up, and the bar prevented her from flexing down. She internally shrugged, and formed a fist to press the button.

'CHSINK'

Three double-sided eight inch blades shot out of the end of the gauntlet. Pyrrha jumped and released her fist, the blades retracted. She glanced at Russ, who simply smiled. She scowled, then pressed the button again. The blades extended outward once more, and Pyrrha was able to properly examine them. They were small blades, only about half an inch wide. They extended out from the area covering her knuckles, and the edges ran parallel to her fingers. She retracted the blades again and examined the area where the came out. If she looked closely, she could just make out the slits the blades came out of.

"The openings widen a bit when the knives come out," explained Russ. "I picked those up as part of a deal from a Faunus trader. Said they were used by a Faunus who wanted claws to better embrace his animal side. Don't know if it's true or not, but I do know that with the right treatment those blades'll slice through just about anything. You interested?"

Pyrrha looked at the gauntlet on her arm. She extended the blades again, and grinned.

 _If I had these when the thugs came for me I'd have been able to take them out no problem. Hell, if I kept my head when the small army came for me I might've been able to take them too._

"They have a name? Huntsmen always name their weapons from what I hear," said Pyrrha.

"The trader called them Silber Klauen*. You want them?" asked Russ.

"How much?"

"350 lien."

Pyrrha internally grimaced. She wasn't used to spending that much anywhere, let alone on a single item, but then she reminded herself that she had a brick of lien to burn through, 350 was nothing.

"Alright," she reached for her backpack.

"And if you want a book on proper blade maintenance and some proper sharpening tools, that'll be another 50 lien," said Russ.

Pyrrha growled a bit, but agreed. She forked over the 400 lien, then placed the book, and toolkit into her backpack.

"Now, do you want some armor as well or do you want to stick to street clothes?" asked Russ.

Pyrrha thought for a moment.

"I should probably get some kind of protection, but not so much that'd it slow me down," she said.

Russ nodded.

"Well the standard Huntress outfit usually includes a battle-skirt-"

"No."

"They allow for full range of movement-"

"Do I look like the kind of girl who would ever where a goddamn dress?" demanded Pyrrha.

Russ paused.

"Uh, no."

"Then what else ya got?"

Russ rubbed the back of his head.

"Well, I got some leather armor, will that do?"

Pyrrha took off her gauntlet and tossed both of them into her backpack and put a strap over her shoulder.

"Sure, lead the way."

Russ hopped over the counter and led her to the right side of the shop. At the last row on the right there was an aisle of body armor of all kinds. Leather, metal, flamboyant, minimalist and everything in between.

"Guys on the wall and ladies on the shelf," said Russ.

Pyrrha walked down the aisle, her left hand shifting through the different armor sets. Halfway down the aisle she found what she was looking for, a leather jacket. It was similar to a female biker jacket, black, large collar, off-center diagonal zipper; the only real differences from a standard biker jacket were the short sleeves and thick pieces on the shoulders. Pyrrha pulled the jacked off the aisle wall and tried it on. It was comfortable and fit great. She rolled her shoulders and was pleased to discover that the thick pieces didn't hamper movement.

"The thick pieces are called pauldrons if you're wondering," said Russ, walking up to her. "They're meant to deflect overhead blows."

Pyrrha nodded.

"I'll take it."

"I'd also recommend combat pants and boots, if you'd follow me this way."

Pyrrha sighed, but followed. Ten minutes and 480 lien later, Pyrrha stood in front of a full body mirror. She was wearing her new jacket, Silber Klauen, dark gray combat pants with a red flame motif on her right leg, and black steel toed combat boots. She gazed at herself in the mirror, and slid into a combat stance and activated the claws.

'CHSINK'

She stared at the figure before her.

 _Holy shit, this is actually happening._

She had already agreed with Qrow's deal but the full implications hadn't hit her until just now. She was going to become a Huntress. Someone charged with defending civilization from the hordes of Grimm that lurked just out of sight. She was wearing close to a thousand lien in combat gear and would be expected to use it on a regular basis.

Her, a street punk who had taught herself how to throw a punch, was now expected to become a defender of humanity.

She was NOT shaking, she was-

"Well you certainly look like a Huntress in training," Russ' voice interrupted her from her musings. She retracted the claws and returned to normal posture.

"I care more about this stuff keeping me alive than how I look," she said, leaning down to grab her backpack.

"Hmph, smart," said Russ as Pyrrha slipped her backpack on. "Need anything else?"

"I'm good."

"Pleasure doing business," said Russ, extending his hand.

"That's what they all say," said Pyrrha, ignoring the hand and heading for the door.

Russ shrugged and let his hand fall back to his side.

"Oi, Qrow, you awake?" he called.

Qrow stopped leaning against the wall and waved him off.

"Yeah, yeah, I'm fine. Thanks for the help," he said.

"Not a problem, take care of yourself Qrow," said Russ.

"Will do. See ya."

Pyrrha and Qrow walked out of the weapons shop and starting making their way down the street. After a few moments, the light from the shop turned off. Qrow looked Pyrrha over as they walked.

"Not bad. Shame you didn't get a mini-skir-"

'CHSINK'

Pyrrha pressed the blades against Qrow's crouch and they stopped walking.

"I'm sorry, did you say something?" asked Pyrrha, grinning pleasantly.

Qrow cleared his throat.

"I asked you if you were sure you didn't need to go back to your place to pick your things up."

"Good," Pyrrha retracted the blades. "And no, I got everything I need."

"You sure?" asked Qrow as they moved forward again.

"I still have a couple thousand lien, I can buy anything I forgot in Vale. Now let's go, I wanna get out of here as soon as I can," said Pyrrha.

Qrow shrugged.

"Alright, I'll get you onto an airship to Vale and give you instructions on how to get to Beacon. You'll have to stay in the city for a few days before initiation, but you can find a hotel or something right?"

Pyrrha nodded.

"Sounds good."

They walked in silence after that. Pyrrha glanced around at the city that had been her home for 17 years. It would probably be a long time before she ever came back, if she came back at all. She was about to make a big step in life, a step she never imagined herself taking, and she still wasn't quite sure how she felt about it.

She sighed.

 _To late to back out now. Nothing to do but move forward._

She adjusted her backpack, and followed Qrow towards her new future.

* * *

Jaune tiptoed his way down the stairs, making sure to skip the third step that always creaked. He was wearing his battle gear. He didn't really need it in his own house and it had technically never seen battle, but it made him feel more confident. Something he definitely needed at the moment.

He was going to sneak off to Beacon Academy to become a Huntsman. He had the fake transcripts, he had his battle gear, now all he needed was a weapon. The weapon he was going to take was Crocea Mors, the sword and shield that had been handed down from one Arc to another for four generations. Five if Jaune's turn wielding it counted, but since he was 'borrowing' it he wasn't sure.

He kept all the lights off as he snuck into the living room. His parents and sisters were all asleep upstairs, but he didn't want to take any chances. He glanced up at the sword. It was hanging above the fireplace, inside the sheath area of the expanded shield. Jaunce crept past the armchairs and table in front of the fireplace, and reached up to grab the sword.

"Ya know you could've just asked," came a voice from behind him.

"GAH!" Jaune stumbled backward, and tripped against the table. He began to fall backward, arms flailing for support. Someone caught him before he landed on the table and pressed a finger to his mouth.

"Shh, we don't want to wake your sisters or your father now, do we?" asked Jean Arc. She was slightly shorter than Jaune, the top of her head only level with Jaune's nose, but she was more than strong enough to catch him. She helped him to his feet and Jaune saw that she was in her pajamas and her dirty blonde hair was messed up a bit, probably from sitting against it for awhile then quickly moving.

Jaune rubbed the back of his head, and coughed.

"Mom, I-I can explain," he said.

"You were going to steal Crocea Mors and use forged transcripts to get into Beacon," said Jean, she crossed her arms. "Honestly Jauney, did you think I wouldn't find out?"

Jaune's shoulders slumped and he sighed.

"Sorry. Do you wanna punish me now or in the morning?" he asked.

"Who said anything about punishing you?" asked Jean.

Jaune looked up, surprised.

"Wha-?"

"Jaune, you want to become a Huntsman so badly that you're willing to risk forgery charges, and steal a family heirloom. At this point I doubt a month of laundry duty would stop you," said Jean. "But why do you want to become a Huntsman so badly?"

"Well, you and grandpa told me all kinds of stories about what are family did. How we're heroes, I wanna live up to that," said Jaune.

Jean sighed.

"It seems we forgot to mention that the reason your great-great-grandpa fought so hard in the great war was to make sure his children wouldn't have to," said Jean.

Jaune blinked.

"O-oh."

"He didn't have any qualms about training his children to fight Grimm, but frankly I do," Jean looked her son in the eye. "I'll be honest with you Jaune, I know Huntsmen and Huntresses are romanticised as great heroes, and they are, but it's not an easy life. They're soldiers in a war against Grimm that will never end. No matter how many Grimm they slay there will always be more. They are a threat that can never truly be defeated."

Jaune narrowed his eyes.

"But if we can help protect even just one person, isn't it worth it?"

Jean blinked, but then smiled and shook her head.

"You're a true Arc alright."

Jaune felt his chest well up with pride.

"That's what kept me fighting for so long. 'One more person, one more person could need my help'. It's how your grandpa kept fighting as well," Jean sighed. "I'm sorry I never really trained you Jaune, I wanted to give you and your sisters the choice not to be Huntsmen if you didn't want to, to avoid fighting a war you'll never really win. But somewhere along the way it became 'don't become a Huntsman' instead of 'you don't have to if you don't want to'. I'm sorry about that."

"Ma, don't say that. You still taught me plenty of things! Hell it was thanks to you pushing me that I managed to beat grandpa at chess," said Jaune.

Jean smiled.

"And then you started reading all those books about Huntsman strategy when he mentioned you could be a good leader," she said, then she sighed, and turned to fireplace. She lifted Crocea Mors from its hanger, and collapsed the shield into a sheath. She turned back to Jaune and offered it to him.

"Is this what you really want? To go to Beacon with no combat experience, and fight against an enemy you'll never fully defeat?"

Jaune smiled, then grabbed the sword.

"Like I said, if I can help at least one person, it's worth the risk."

Jean let go of the sword and Jaune attached it to his hip.

"Alright, but before you go let me do a few things for you. First, I'm going to unlock your Aura," said Jean.

"Wait really? I thought I had to unlock that myself."

Jean frowned.

"Don't be stupid. It's true that if you'd gone to combat school you would've had to unlock your Aura on your own, but you're not going to combat school. You're going to Beacon Academy, the final stage for Huntsmen training. I'd have to be a complete idiot to send you there without activating your Aura."

* * *

Qrow paused, his shot glass halfway to his lips.

 _Did I forget something?_

He shrugged, and returned to his drink

* * *

Jean placed her forearms on top of Jaune's.

"For it is in passing that we achieve immortality. Through this, we become a paragon of virtue and glory to rise above all. Infinite in distance and unbound by death, I release your soul and by my shoulder, protect thee."

Jaune suddenly felt his body overflowing with energy. He backed away from his mother and his entire body began to glow.

Jean blinked a with times in surprise.

"Wow, you've got a lot of Aura, Juane. I mean, A LOT."

Jaune looked down at his glowing body and turned his hands over a few times.

"Yeah, uh, great! Now, uh, how do I turn it off? It's starting to kinda freak me out."

Jean chuckled.

"Just give it a few moments. The light'll die down soon enough."

Sure enough it did. Jaune turned his hands over a couple more times just to be sure he wasn't glowing anywhere.

"Well I'm a little less worried now," said Jean, Jaune returned his attention to her. "I know no amount of Aura alone will keep you safe but it should help you a lot."

"Do I really have that much?" asked Juane.

"Don't let it get to your head. You'll need combat skills as well as Aura to survive as a Huntsman. That said, you do really have a lot," said Jean. "Okay, next, a piece of advice. Initiation day is going to have some field test of some kind, and knowing old Ozpin, it'll probably involve being launched into Grimm infested territory."

"Uh, what do you mean by 'launched'?"

"I mean hurled through the air at an extremely dangerous speed."

"WHA-!?"

"SHH!" Jean covered Jaune's mouth and looked at the ceiling. After a moment, she released him.

"Sorry," mumbled Jaune.

"It's alright, I suppose I would be surprised as well. Anyway you'll need to come up with a landing strategy. Your Aura should protect you from the fall, but even your vast reserves would have a decent chunk depleted if you did nothing. Even just a simple combat roll would put significantly less strain on your Aura," explained Jean.

Jaune nodded.

"Alright, I'll try to think of something."

"Good, now go upstairs to your room."

"What! I thought you were gonna let me go!" protested Jaune.

"I am. I'm going to drop you off at the airship to Beacon myself. AFTER, you've packed, had a decent family breakfast and given each and every one of your sisters, your father, and me a proper goodbye. Sound good?" asked Jean.

Jaune rubbed the pack of his head again, embarrassed that he'd doubted her.

"Yeah, sounds great, but I'm not sure I'll get much sleep tonight."

"Get what you can, you'll need all the rest you can get," said Jean.

Jaune nodded and started to detach Crocea Mors.

"Keep it," said Jean. "It's yours now."

Jaune looked up and smiled.

"Thanks Ma," he said.

She smiled back.

"You're welcome Jauney, goodnight."

"Goodnight."

The two of them snuck back upstairs and to their rooms. Juane detached Crocea Mors and leaned it against the wall. He then took his armor off but kept his clothes on and fell on top of his bed.

 _Holy crap, I'm actually going to Beacon tomorrow._

He rolled onto his side, and tried to go to sleep. Thoughts of future heroics, terrors, and strategies racing through his head.

* * *

 ***Silver claws in German. (At least according to google translate)**

 **Before anyone jumps on me for ripping off Wolverine, yes, I ripped off Wolverine's claws. I couldn't think of any other fisticuffs way to make Pyrrha's weapon be any deadlier than just metal knuckles. Dust maybe but as she said, she knows jack shit about combat Dust. I'll point out that Pyrrha's claws are shorter and straight instead of curved, but I know I'm nitpicking. That is the only thing that I'm gonna rip off for this fic. This Pyrrha is not Wolverine but a girl, she doesn't have his powers and her personality is different (close maybe, but different). The claws are the only near identical thing and if I had thought up another easy to learn fisticuffs weapon for this Pyrrha I would've used that instead.**

 **Also, does Pyrrha's outfit make sense? I'm still not completely sure if it looks alright.**

 **Jaune knows about Aura because of the books on HUNTSMEN strategy he read.**

 **The more reviews I get the more motivated I am to update**


	2. Fuck Ozpin and Fuck Grim

Pyrrha leaned against the wall of the airship and observed the people around her. She was currently wearing her new combat gear and riding the airship to Beacon Academy. She closed her eyes, let her head rest against the wall, and thought back over the past few days.

She had arrived in Vale just five days ago, with nothing but the stuff in her backpack and some scrawled out instructions. She had found a cheap hotel to stay at, bought some spare clothes from a nearby store, then spent the rest of her time exploring the city that was effectively her new home.

She'd be lying if she said she didn't like it.

While Kuchinashi wasn't completely under the mob's thumb, everyone knew that the main reason why was that it wasn't worth the effort. They had a good chunk of the cops bought out and discreet locations for conducting any sort of business they wanted. Why bother wasting resources cracking down on the 'safe' side of town when things were going so smoothly?

Vale on the other hand, was one big safe zone. Crime still occurred, but the fact that people were genuinely surprised about a recent spree of Dust shop robberies spoke volumes about the differences between the two cities. Back on the bad side of Kuchinashi, if you ran a shop that wasn't under 'protection' then you needed to invest in a shotgun or kiss your wares goodbye.

That wasn't to say Vale was free from shady areas, but to be honest, Pyrrha was grateful for that. Not having to worry about random crime was all well and good but if everyone was a model law abiding citizen she'd never be able to get a drink.

"Gross, gross, gross, gross!"

"Get away, get, oh! Get away from me, get away from me!"

Pyrrha opened her eyes and turned toward the noise. A tall blonde in a tan vest and a smaller dark-haired girl in a black and red 'battle-skirt' were freaking out over some vomit on the blonde's boot. Apparently it was the fault of someone they called Vomit boy.

Pyrrha scoffed.

 _What kind of pathetic retard would try to become a Huntsman if they can't even handle riding a goddamn airship?_

* * *

Jaune was in hell. He thought his new Aura would protect him against his air-sickness but NOPE! His stomach still wanted to file divorce papers against the rest of his body and it was letting his brain know in the most violent way possible.

 _And the day started out so well_.

His mother had gone above and beyond his expectations for his send off. She hadn't just made a big breakfast for the whole family, she'd made a veritable buffet table with pancakes, bacon, french toast, and every other mouthwatering breakfast food you could think of. When he tried to protest her doing so much she had simply said:

"I'm your mother Jauney, let me spoil you one last time before you grow up."

Jaune couldn't argue with that, so he went back to the dining room and sat down with his sisters. After numerous promises to write to them as often as he could, his father had come down.

James Arc had always been a heavy sleeper, and therefore didn't know what all the fuss was about. Once Jaune's sisters stopped trying to explain all at once, Duck, the youngest Arc, told him about how Jaune was going to Beacon. This caused James' eyes to open completely, something he usually didn't accomplish until after he'd chugged his morning pot of coffee. He then vaulted over the table, landed next to Jaune, and pulled him into a rib cracking hug.

"Ah Jauney-boy, I don't know whether to punch you in the face for being so stupid, or pat you on the back for having such balls."

"Swear jar!" called Jenny.

James tossed a few coins into said jar without relieving the pressure on Jaune.

"So I think this is a good compromise." he said, squeezing a little more. Jaune was glad he had his Aura, otherwise he was sure a few of his ribs would've actually cracked.

"James, stop trying to squish our boy," called Jean.

"Sorry dear," called James, he let Jaune go and patted him on the shoulder. "You're an Arc alright. Diving headfirst into danger with no idea if you'll come out alive, all to help people. That's how I fell for your mother. Speaking of, you'd better come home with a girlfriend, but that ol' Arc charm to good use!"

Juane could only nod meekly, he still needed to catch his breath. Jean had started bringing out the food at that moment, and Juane was saved from further embarrassment/affection. After a lively breakfast and some heartfelt goodbyes, Jean had driven Juane to the airship station and sent him on his way.

Now that lovely _homemade_ breakfast was fighting tooth and nail to come back out his mouth. Thankfully, the airship landed before Jaune completely lost control of his stomach. He dashed out the doors and threw up in the nearest trashcan.

"Teh," he heard someone scoff. He looked to his side and saw a tough looking redhead in a leather jacket pass him. She was actually kind of pretty, in a 'you mess with me, I end you' sort of way. His dad had always taught him that if he ever wanted to flirt with that kind of girl, he had to be sure he had their respect. Something Jaune was fairly sure was now alongside his vomit in the trash.

He sighed.

 _The school year hasn't even started yet and I've already puked on a hot blonde and lost any chance of the tough pretty girl respecting me. This is not how I wanted my first day of Huntsman training to go._

* * *

As Pyrrha walked forward she couldn't help but gaze up at the towering Beacon Academy. She blew air out the side of her mouth and shook her head.

 _Holy shit, I'm actually doing this. I'm actu-_

 **'BOOM'**

Pyrrha jumped, whipped around, raised her fists and extended her claws. Back at the circular walkway intersection, a girl in a white dress was covered in soot, smoking, and yelling at the dark-haired girl from the airship. Pyrrha shook her head.

"What the hell?"

There didn't seem to be a threat anywhere, so she retracted her claws and lowered her arms. She heard a couple students snickering and muttering about how Dust could literally blow up in your face if you weren't careful.

Pyrrha shook her head again.

 _Huntsmen are fucking insane._

She turned back towards the main entrance and walked forward.

 _And I'm training to be one._

She sighed and followed the crowd to an auditorium. It was about halfway full when she got there. Students were standing, milling about and talking to one another. Pyrrha just headed toward the center of the room and stood with her arms crossed. The minutes ticked by, the room filled up, and eventually, two teachers walked onto the auditorium's stage. One was a strict looking blonde woman with a purple cape, the other was an aging man in a black suit and green vest. He was holding a cane, but he didn't seem to use it as he approached a microphone placed in the center of the stage. He cleared his throat.

"I'll, keep this brief. You have traveled here today in search of knowledge, to hone your craft and acquire new skills. And when you've finished, you plan to dedicate your life to the protection of the people."

Pyrrha looked down, and couldn't help but feel a little guilty. The man apparently thought she was here to become some kind of hero, when the truth was she was only here to save her own neck.

"But I look amongst you, and all I see is wasted energy."

Pyrrha narrowed her eyes, guilt gone in an instant.

 _Well fuck you, old man._

She raised her right hand up over the crowd, and flipped him off. The man's eyes seemed to pause on her, and he chuckled.

"Some of you may resent me for saying this."

He gestured toward her, and people began to stare. Pyrrha ignored them, and kept her arm steady.

"But you are in need of purpose and direction. You assume knowledge will free you of this, but your time at this school will prove that knowledge can only carry you, so far. It is up to you to take the first step."

He stepped away from the microphone and began to walk off stage. Pyrrha lowered her arm. The woman stepped up to the microphone.

"You will gather in the ballroom tonight. Tomorrow your initiation begins. Be ready. You are dismissed. Also, Miss Nikos? Meet Professor Ozpin and I in the hall."

Pyrrha ignored the looks she was getting and followed the two professors into a nearby hallway. Once the door closed behind them, the blonde professor rounded on Pyrrha.

"That sort of behavior is unacceptable for a student of Beacon," she said.

"Yeah well, I'm not a student yet, remember? Initiation isn't until tomorrow," said Pyrrha.

"That does NOT give you the right to insult-"

"Glynda," Ozpin cut her off. "Please allow me to handle this."

Glynda nodded and stepped back. Ozpin approached Pyrrha and pushed his glasses closer to his eyes.

"If you're expecting an apology old man, you're not gonna get one. You insult me, I insult you. That's how it works," said Pyrrha.

Ozpin smiled.

"I'm not expecting an apology, though I will point out that I was not insulting you, I was stating a fact. A flaw in you and your classmates that you need to correct."

"One, that's the best kind of insult, since there's no defense except to attack back. And I haven't got anything on you other than the fact that you're old. Two, I wouldn't call putting energy into surviving 'wasted'."

Ozpin nodded.

"Fair points. But I didn't have Glynda call you here to debate the merits of an insult. I brought you here to discuss your place here at my school."

Pyrrha raised an eyebrow.

"Mr. Branwen recommended you on the basis that you were 'mean' and 'fought dirty'. Several members of the faculty were skeptical that these would be good traits for a Huntress, but I trust Mr. Branwen's judgement. Now that I've met you, I must admit to being somewhat impressed. When most students meet me, before I've even uttered a single word they assume I'm some wizened old man who must be respected. You, on the other hand, non-verbally insulted me the second I said something that offended you. It's honestly a bit refreshing," said Ozpin.

"So I should insult you more often?" asked Pyrrha.

Ozpin chuckled.

"Not quite. Your attitude gives you a sort of bravery that I don't often see in my students, and it gives you the potential to be a great Huntress. One who understands that those in power are not to be followed blindly. That being said, you will not be given any special treatment here. Break school rules, defy teachers simply to spite them, or endanger my students," Ozpin's eyes narrowed dangerously. "And you will be punished accordingly. Do I make myself clear?"

Pyrrha shrugged.

"Sure thing," she said, then she turned at started for the door.

"The Headmaster did not dismiss you," called Glynda.

"Still not a student yet you senile hag," said Pyrrha. She reached the door and went through before the professor could respond.

* * *

Ozpin coughed to cover up his chuckle. He hadn't seen Ms. Goodwitch this disgruntled in years. The most troublemakers usually got out of her was an eye twitch and a stern voice, yet here she was, sputtering indignantly at a single insult.

He began to smile as he thought over all the interesting students he had accepted this year.

 _A fifteen year old prodigy, an Arc brave enough to fake his way into Beacon, and now a fearless foul-mouthed punk. This year will be interesting indeed._

* * *

Pyrrha took Silber Klauen out of her combat locker. Weapons had been collected last night and placed in each student's personal locker, which could apparently be summoned by rocket in case of emergency. Pyrrha wasn't sure if she believed it, but after seeing kids laugh off an explosion, she figured anything was possible. She began strapping the gauntlets on when a haughty voice interrupted her.

"Excuse me, would you be Pyrrha Nikos?"

Pyrrha looked up. It was the white girl from the explosion yesterday. Now that she had cleaned herself off, Pyrrha could see that her hair was also white (and styled in a stupid looking side ponytail) and her skirt was designed with a frilly snowflake pattern. A rapier was strapped to her sided, ordinary looking except for the base of the blade which had a series of vertical colored slots.

 _I guess she's a Dust user._

"Who wants to know?" she asked, returning her eyes to her gauntlet.

"Weiss Schnee, pleasure to make your acquaintance," she said, offering her hand.

Pyrrha didn't look up and finished strapping on the first gauntlet.

"I'll take your word for it. Now what do you want?" she asked, reaching for the second.

Weiss frowned, but didn't let up.

"I became interested in you after your bold defiance of Professor Ozpin. One must be extremely confident in their abilities in order to defy such a powerful man. I took it upon myself to learn your history and after looking through the school records, I came across something interesting. Most students at Beacon have attended Signal Academy or some other combat school, but according to the records, you haven't. You don't even have any official transcripts. The only thing you do have is an anonymous recommendation. This means that both the recommender and Professor Ozpin are extremely confident in your combat prowess. I thought it would be beneficial for the both of us if we partnered up. The school's smartest paired with one of the school's strongest, we'd be unstoppable! So what do you say?"

At this point Pyrrha had finished strapping on Silber Klauen. Still not looking at Weiss, she reached into her back pocket and pulled out her scroll. She opened it and began dialing.

"Who are you calling?" asked Weiss.

"The police, I need to report a stalker," said Pyrrha.

"Wh-WHAT!" Weiss sputtered. She shot her hand out and slapped Pyrrha's scroll out of her hand. Pyrrha turned to glare at her.

"A basic summary of all Huntsmen in training that doesn't contain any private information is available to anyone online! I simply looked you up on my scroll," said Weiss.

"You're trying to convince me you're not a stalker, by saying you looked me up online?" asked Pyrrha. She snatched up her scroll and put it away before Weiss could hit it again.

"Doing research on potential partners is not stalking, it's good planning! A partnership between us would benefit us both, why wouldn't you want to partner up with me?"

"You're wearing a fucking dress and high heels! Your whole outfit looks like it costs more than a village makes in a year! Your whole speech sounded like the only reason you 'lowered yourself to my level' was I had something you wanted. Everything about you screams 'spoiled brat' and there is no way in hell I'm putting up with your shit for the next four fucking years!" yelled Pyrrha.

"Ladies, ladies, please! Let's calm down now."

Weiss and Pyrrha's heads snapped towards the voice. It was the blonde boy who threw up on the airship.

"What do you want?" demanded Weiss.

"Easy there Snow Angel. I just saw two beautiful ladies arguing and decided to help out. It's a knight's duty to-"

'CHSINK'

The self-proclaimed knight stopped when he felt three blades pressed against his crotch.

"Private conversation. Fuck off," said Pyrrha.

"R-right, sorry," he nervously backed away. Pyrrha retracted her blades.

"Thank you," said Weiss.

"Go fuck a cactus you cunt," said Pyrrha, slamming her locker shut and walking away. She could hear Weiss yelling after her, but she ignored it. As she approached the locker room exit, someone else interrupted her.

"You do know you just insulted the heiress to the Schnee Dust Company, one of the most powerful companies in all of Remnant, right?"

Pyrrha turned. It was a black-haired girl with golden eyes and a bow on her head.

"So she's a cuntess? I'll be sure to remember that, thanks," she turned back to the exit and headed out.

The professors were having them gather at the top of a cliff for initiation. It seemed a bit over the top for Pyrrha, but again, she wasn't around normal people anymore. She was with Huntsmen, she reminded herself yet again that she was probably going to have to get used to insanity.

She and her future classmates gathered on stone squares on top of the cliff. She was standing next to Weiss, much to her irritation, and a boy with a mohawk. Professor Ozpin and Glynda were standing in front of them, their backs to the cliff, Ozpin stepped forward and began his speech.

"For years you have trained to become warriors, and today your skills will be evaluated in the Emerald Forest."

Pyrrha narrowed her eyes. She had been expecting some sort of combat test for initiation, but fighting in Grimm infested territory on the first day? This was gonna be harder than she thought.

"Now, I've sure many of you have heard rumors about the assignment of teams. Well, allow us to put an end to your confusion. Each of you will be given teammates, today," said Glynda.

Pyrrha had overheard a few of those rumors last night. Team assignment being today seemed to be the most widely accepted theory, but a few students still looked surprised.

"These teammates will be with you for the rest of your time here at Beacon. So it is within your best interest to be paired with someone with whom you can work well. That being said, the first person you make eye contact with after landing will be your partner for the next four years," said Ozpin.

Some of the students made some surprised noises, but Pyrrha just rolled her eyes.

 _You going senile, old man? Or do you just enjoy fucking with kids' heads? 'Pair up with someone good but if you don't, tough shit! You're stuck with them, ha ha!'_

"After you've partnered up, make your way to the northern end of the forest. You will meet opposition along the way. Do not hesitate to destroy everything in your path, or you will die," continued Ozpin. "You will be monitored and graded for the duration of your initiation, but our instructors will not intervene. You will find an abandoned temple at the end of the path containing several relics. Each pair must choose one, and return to the top of the cliff. We will regard your item, as well as your standing and grade you appropriately. Are there any questions?"

No one responded. Pyrrha could hear a few people taking deep breaths to psych themselves up.

"Good! Now take your positions," said Ozpin.

The students got into fighting stances on top of their gray tiles. Pyrrha looked up and down the row in confusion.

"How are we getting down to-"

'Ch-CHUNK'

The tile at the end of the row shot upward and catapulted the student standing on it into the forest.

"Are you shitting me!" yelled Pyrrha, stepping of her launch pad.

"No, Ms. Nikos," said Ozpin, Pyrrha could see him smirking behind his coffee mug. "I am not 'shitting' you."

'Ch-CHUNK'

"You will be launched into the Emerald Forest via launch pad for your initiation. If you wish to back out, simply remain off your launch pad," he said.

Weiss glanced back at her and smirked.

'Ch-CHUNK'

She was launched into the air. Pyrrha's launch pad would go off any second now. She grit her teeth, and got back on. She glared at Ozpin.

"Fuck. You."

'Ch-CHUNK'

Pyrrha bit down her desire to scream as she was launched into the air.

Growing up in the streets of Kuchinashi had taught Pyrrha a lot of things: How to steal a man's wallet, how to steal a car, how to beat a man to death quickly. But she had never learned how to survive falling hundreds of feet through the air.

 _Fuck, fuck, fuck, fuck, FUCK, FUCK, **FUCK!**_

She flailed her arms out in a futile attempt to gain some control of her fall, but the only thing it accomplished was making her do somersaults through the air. By the time she stabilized she was seconds away from crashing into a tree.

 _Fuuuuuck_

She crossed her arms in front of her and crashed through a few branches. She looked up and saw that she was going to pass to the right of the main tree, and likely fall to her death. Thinking quickly, she reached out her right arm and extended her claws. They entered the tree vertically, and angled back to stop her momentum. It worked, her forearm stopped dead, and the rest of her body stopped a moment later.

But not before her shoulder made an ugly, fleshy, popping sound.

"AAARRRRAAGH!" yelled Pyrrha. Pain racked her body in pulsing bolts as she hung awkwardly from her dislocated shoulder. Breathing heavily, she turned toward the tree and stuck in the claws from her left gauntlet. Once she was sure it would hold, she retracted her right claws and let her right arm hang limply. Panting hard and hissing in pain, Pyrrha used her left arm to heave herself onto a nearby branch. She sat down on it heavily, her legs swinging freely below her. Pain still gripped her shoulder, but she focused on regaining control of her breathing before doing anything about it.

Once she had calmed herself down somewhat, she gripped her right shoulder, and shoved it back into place with another fleshy 'pop'.

"RRRGH," she grunted. The pain was still there, but it was now a dull throb instead of pulsing bolts. She stood up on the branch, slowly and carefully.

"That, four-eyed... Senile... Cane-stroking, MOTHERFUCKER" Pyrrha whipped around and smashed her left fist into the tree. The claws and gauntlet tore through the wood and removed a good chunk of it. The momentum from the punch almost toppled Pyrrha from her branch but she recovered quickly and looked up.

"OZPIN! DO YOU HEAR ME?! YOU'RE FUCKING DEAD! I'M GONNA STOMP YOUR BALLS INTO MUSH AND MAKE YOU DRINK IT LIKE A GODDAMN SMOOTHIE!"

* * *

Glynda recoiled from the XL scroll in her hands and turned to Ozpin.

"Are you sure it was a good idea to let her into Beacon? Beyond the near certainty that she'll be a troublemaker, she seems downright dangerous," she said.

Ozpin took another sip from his coffee.

"Pardon me Glynda, but what kind of Huntsman is not dangerous in some form or another?" he asked.

"Fair enough, but I'm more concerned about her being a threat to her fellow students. I wouldn't put it was her to start a brawl between classes," said Glynda.

"We will simply have to impress upon her that such actions have consequences. I'm far from blind to all of Ms. Nikos' faults, but I do agree with Qrow. Our students need to know that the world is a mean, dangerous place. Ms. Nikos seems like a good way to expose them to that as safely as we can," said Ozpin.

"And here I thought you wanted them to be children while they could," said Glynda.

Ozpin shrugged.

"It's a balancing act. On the one hand, they deserve to enjoy their childhood. On the other, we have to prepare them for the world. Allowing Ms. Nikos to enter my school is my attempt to balance that scale. I can only hope that it will work."

* * *

Pyrrha used her claws to climb out of the tree. Always making sure one set of claws was in the wood, she carefully but quickly made her way down. She had managed to calm herself during the climb, and was no longer planning Ozpin's gruesome demise.

 _Okay, focus. Find a partner, find the relic, get back to the cliff, THEN kill the fucker._

She heard growling from the trees behind her. She turned around, keeping her back to the tree she was just in. Red eyes glared at her from the spaces between the trees and bushes. A small pack of Beowolves slowly moved forward. Three of them, one in front and two flanking either side.

'CHSINK'

Pyrrha lowered herself into a fighting stance, claws at the ready.

 _Hello objects of misplaced aggression._

* * *

Jaune groaned. He wasn't in very much pain, thankfully, but he was very disoriented. So disoriented that he decided to remain flat on his back, and wait for the world to stop spinning.

 _What the heck was I thinking? I mean, shield surfing? Really?_

He had spent the previous evening trying to come up with a landing strategy. The only thing he could come up with was to sit on his shield and hope he could sort of skip along the tops of the trees. Once he had slowed down, he'd be able to either stop in a tree and climb down, or simply jump to the ground and roll to absorb the impact.

The plan had worked . . . kind of.

While he was in the air he'd taken out his shield, expanded it, and sat on it, using his hands to keep himself in place. (He hadn't needed to worry about Crocea Mors, it was still held in place by the sheath part of the shield.) He had begun falling towards a tree, and that's where his plan had gone awry. Instead of bouncing over the top of the tree like he had been hoping for, he'd crashed through it. Then partway down he'd bounced of a branch, slowing him down significantly and sending him toward another tree. This process repeated itself a few more times until Jaune felt himself falling down more than forward. He had then jumped off his shield, performed an adequate combat roll, and ran full speed into a tree.

His Aura had protected him, (he only felt a very dull pain and it was already fading) but going from running in one direction to bouncing in the opposite had thrown him for a loop.

Just as he was beginning to get his bearings, he heard a rustle from the bushes. He turned his head and saw the picture perfect girl from the locker room, Weiss Schnee. Her white hair glittered with a platinum shine in the sun and she'd somehow managed to keep her beautiful dress somehow still perfectly clean in the middle of the forest. She was amazing.

She froze when she saw him, lying prone and without his weapon. Jaune thought quickly, the only way to salvage this was to act confident, just like his dad had taught him.

"Hey there, Snow Angel. Remember me?" he asked, raising a hand in greeting.

Weiss grimaced, then turned around and walked away without a word. A few moments after she was out of sight Jaune heard Ruby shout excitedly:

"You came back!"

Jaune let his arm fall to the ground.

 _Ouch_

After a moment to nurse his bruised ego, he stood up and dusted himself off. He looked around for Crocea Mors and saw that it had landed a good fifteen feet behind him. He walked over to it and picked it up. The shield was still activated and the sword was still snug in it's sheath. Jaune examined the face of the shield, after all the punishment he put it through it didn't have a single dent or scratch! Jaune thanked Oum that his ancestors knew what they were doing when they forged Crocea Mors and strapped it to his hip. He then turned back the way he came and crossed his arms.

 _Okay, what now? I need to find a partner, and then a relic. Ozpin said the relics were in some ruins at the northern end of the forest. We were facing north when we were launched off the cliff so if I just head in the direction I was launched, I should find the ruins. . . But I need to find a partner first. Sure, everyone should be heading toward the ruins, but since I was at the end of the line I'm less likely to bump into someone if I go directly there._

 _Hmm, everyone was to my left, so I should go northwest. That way I'll be more likely to run into someone while still getting closer to the relics._

Feeling more confident now that he had a plan, Jaune turned slightly to his left and made his way northwest. After awhile, he heard gunfire in the distance. He thought for a moment about turning towards it, but decided not to. From what he could hear it was a long distance away, and if he listened very carefully he was fairly sure he heard two different guns, which meant it was likely a pair of partners fighting Grimm. Heading towards it would only put himself in danger, and no closer to finding a partner.

Not that Jaune himself was exactly safe. Every once and awhile he would hear some kind of Grimm call. An Ursa's roar, a Beowolf howl, a Nevermore's caw. Jaune paused, took a breath, and calmly drew his sword and shield.

 _Do NOT panic. They're far away, but if you start giving off too much fear, you'll attract other Grimm._

Right as he finished telling himself this, he heard someone shouting and maybe a few Grimm growling. Strangely though, it was coming from somewhere behind him.

 _Is someone still right by the area where they landed?_

That could be good for him. If they were right where they started, then they likely didn't have a partner yet. On the other hand, if they had been delayed this long then the Grimm must've been giving them a lot of trouble.

Jaune gripped Crocea Mors tightly and quickly made his way back toward the commotion. As he got closer, he slowed down. If he just charged in without thinking, he could do more harm than good. He still moved fairly quickly though, even after he began to see the source of the noise.

Looking ahead, he could make out a few Beowolves fighting in a clearing. Jaune moved carefully to a bush on the edge of the clearing and got a good look at what was going on.

It was that terrifying girl, Pyrrha, who was fighting the Beowolves. Jaune could see a partially evaporated Beowolf corpse on the far side of the clearing and Pyrrha was now engaging with two more of them.

One Beowolf charged and swiped its claws at her head, Pyrrha caught the claws with her gauntlet, then shoved her own claws up through the Grimm's head.

The other Beowolf charged, Pyrrha retracted her claws to free herself, then jumped out of the way. She regained her footing, extended her claws, and charged the Beowolf. The Beowolf whipped around, and caught her with a backhand strike to her face. The blow knocked Pyrrha off her feet and she landed hard on her back. She jumped right back onto her feet, and spit out some blood.

Jaune blinked in surprise.

 _Why didn't her Aura protect her?_

Pyrrha snarled, but stayed where she was. The Beowolf lunged at her, claws out stretched and jaw open wide. Pyrrha side-stepped the Beowolf, then while it was still in the air swiped her claw through its foreleg. Severing the leg into three different pieces.

Jaune gagged, unused to the sight of gore.

The Beowolf fell on its side, and began to whimper. Pyrrha took a few deep breaths, then walked over and quickly slashed its throat.

Jaune debated whether or not he should step out into the clearing. Pyrrha was clearly a skilled fighter but she kind of scared him. That, and her opinion of him probably was probably pretty bad. He had humiliated himself in front of her, then today had annoyed her to the point where she threatened to castrate him. If he walked out and tried to become her partner, she'd most likely scoff and walk away the way Wiess did. He sighed, and started to turn away, but something caught his eye.

There, on the edge of the clearing, was a pair of glowing red eyes. They were about chest height off the ground, and Jaune could hear a low growling coming from it. Pyrrha heard it too, she turned toward the noise and extended her claws.

"More of you fuckers? Fine then, I'll kill you all!" she shouted.

The Grimm lumbered forward and revealed itself to be an Ursa. It charged Pyrrha, she tried to jump out of the way but the Ursa's paw caught her in the chest and knocked her to the ground. The large Grimm reared up on its hind legs and roared, ready to crush the girl below her.

Jaune rushed forward, there was no time to plan, only to act. He got to Pyrrha just in time and raised his shield over his head. The Ursa's claws crashed into the shield and knocked Jaune onto his knees, but he held his shield firm, keeping the Ursa off balance.

"Go for its belly!" shouted Jaune.

Pyrrha shook herself, then got up and quickly moved past him. She extended her claws and began slashing the Grimm's stomach. The Ursa roared in pain and toppled off Jaune and onto it's back. Pyrrha quickly lunged and slashed out the Ursa's throat. It gave a wounded gurgle, then collapsed and began to evaporate.

Jaune took a few deep breaths then stood up. Pyrrha turned to him and looked him over.

"I guess you're not completely pathetic, Vomit boy," she said.

Jaune grimaced, then tried to put on a brave face.

"I try," he said.

"Not on airships."

"Hey! Air-sickness is much more common than most people think!"

Pyrrha rolled her eyes.

"Whatever. You gotta name Vomit boy?"

"Oh, uh, right," Jaune scratched the back of his head sheepishly. "I'm Jaune, Jaune Arc."

"Pyrrha Nikos. . . And I guess we're stuck together now."

"Well that's one way to put it, we're partners."

Pyrrha scoffed.

"Whatever, just don't get in my way, and don't flirt."

Jaune sighed. He had been hoping for a partner he'd at least be able to get along with, but Pyrrha wasn't showing any sides of lowering her hostility, even after he'd helped her.

"Right," he collapsed his shield and sheathed his sword. "Let's go get that relic then."

He turned north and started walking.

"And how do you know which way to go?" asked Pyrrha, crossing her arms.

Jaune looked back at her.

"Professor Ozpin said that the relics were in some ruins on the northern end of the forest. It's midmorning so the sun is in the east, meaning north is that way," he said, pointing in the direction he was walking.

Pyrrha blinked, then lowered her arms.

"Huh, you might actually be useful, blondie." She walked past him and he sighed.

"Could you please use my real name?" he asked, following after her.

"I'll call you whatever the hell I want," said Pyrrha, not looking back.

Jaune sighed again and for a while they walked in silence. Eventually though, Jaune remembered something that had been bothering him.

"Hey Pyrrha?"

"What?"

"Why didn't your Aura protect you when that Beowolf hit you? Are you really low or something?"

Pyrrha stopped and looked back at him.

"Aura? That bullshit health system they use at the Vytal Tournament? Don't tell me you actually believe that shit."

Jaune blinked.

"Uh, it's not bullshit."

Pyrrha scoffed.

"Yeah right. 'The power of your soul will protect you from harm'. Don't be an idiot, blondie. This is real life, not some stupid fantasy."

Jaune stared at her. How could she possibly not think Aura was real? She was clearly a skilled fighter, she carried herself confidently, and she was fearless when facing down Grimm. Did she not go to combat school? And if she hadn't, where had she learned to fight?

Jaune shook himself.

"Aura's very real. It's the reason I don't have a scratch on me after I landed."

Pyrrha rolled her eyes.

"Yeah? Prove it."

Jaune inclined* his head, then drew his sword. He gripped the blade with his left hand, feeling the sharp edge underneath his fingers and thumb. Still squeezing the blade, he slid his hand along it, up then down, then he showed Pyrrha his undamaged hand.

Pyrrha raised her eyebrow.

"Are you trying to tell me you get off on bullshit?"

Jaune furrowed his brow, then it hit him.

"Wh-what! NO! I'm trying to show you that my Aura protected me from getting cut!"

"Is that the excuse you use every time someone catches you stroking your sword?"

Jaune was turning red and he couldn't seem to form words.

"I... Guh."

Pyrrha smirked.

"As fun as it is watching you squirm, blondie, we have to find that relic. So quit bullshitting me and let's go."

She turned and started walking north again. Jaune shook himself and hurried to catch up with her. He reached out and grabbed her left shoulder.

"I'm telling you- "

Pyrrha's left gauntlet shot up and smashed into his nose.

"GAH!"

Then she elbowed him in the chest. Already off balance from the head shot, Jaune stumbled back.

"Don't touch me."

Pyrrha turned around, her eyes narrowed. But when she saw Jaune, her eyes widened.

"Wait, why isn't your nose broken?"

Jaune smiled, just a bit.

 _Not the proof I had in mind, but hey, it's working._

"My Aura protected me. I still felt the hit, and it knocked me off balance, but my Aura prevented me from getting really hurt."

He extended his left arm and held it palm side up.

"You can test it again if you want, but not too much. Remember how the Aura meter goes down in the Vytal Tournament? Well that's because we don't have an infinite amount of Aura. If we take too many hits it runs out. I should have enough for you to test it again though."

Pyrrha approached Jaune slowly, intrigued but still skeptical. She stood in front of Jaune and pressed the fist of her gauntlet against his arm.

"Keep it steady," she said.

Jaune nodded and braced as best he could.

'CHSINK'

The three blades extended from Pyrrha's gauntlet and pushed Jaune's arm back. He could feel the blades pressing against his skin but they didn't pierce it. Pyrrha pressed the blades against his arm a little more, then scraped them down and off. Still no damage. Pyrrha stared, her eyes wide.

"Why don't you know about Aura? It's the Huntsmen's greatest weapon against Grimm. You should've learned all about it in combat school," said Jaune, lowering his arm.

Pyrrha shook her head.

"I didn't go to combat school. I got in on recommen…da…tion." Her eyes narrowed as slowly growled out the last word. The blades on her other gauntlet extended and she grit her teeth.

"That alcoholic SON OF A BITCH!" she shouted, her arms shaking in rage. "'Hey kid, I know how to get you out of this mess! Come be a Huntress at Beacon. I'll make sure you get in, but I won't even fucking TELL YOU about shit that you NEED to survive!' Rrgh, he's dead," she growled.

Jaune backed off during Pyrrha's rant, but he couldn't help but ask a question.

"Uh, mess?"

"None of your fucking business." Pyrrha took a deep breath, then let it out with a long grunt. "Alright, is there any way for me to get this Aura stuff?"

"Yeah," Jaune brought his hands up the way his mother had. "I can unlock it. Just place your arms on top of mine and I'll to the rest."

Pyrrha raised an eyebrow.

"Are you fu- "

"Pyrrha," Jaune had had enough of her doubting him. "I'm your partner. You can trust me."

Pyrrha gave him a hard look, then walked over.

"I swear to Oum, if you are fucking with me," she let the threat hang, then placed her arms onto his.

"Okay! Now, how did it go?" Jaune racked his brain. Pyrrha growled.

"Jaune."

 _How the hell does she make saying my name feel like a threat?! No, focus!_

"R-right, sorry. I got it now." Jaune cleared his throat. "For it is in passing that we achieve immortality. Through this, we become a paragon of virtue and glory to rise above all. Infinite in distance and unbound by death, I release your soul, and by my shoulder, protect thee."

Jaune felt some of his Aura flow into Pyrrha. The energy from his soul mixing with hers. For a moment, he swore he could feel her soul.

And it scared him.

It was like a predator. Crouching low, teeth bared and claws at the ready, prepared to strike at anything that got too close.

The feeling was broken when Pyrrha shoved him away.

"What the FUCK did you do to me?!" she shouted, gaping down at her glowing body.

"Calm down! It's just a side-affect from unlocking your Aura. It'll die down in a few moments, I swear."

Pyrrha continued to gap at her glowing body. Once it faded she looked herself over one last time.

"How do you feel?" asked Jaune.

"I… I'm not sure how to describe it," said Pyrrha, looking at her hands and turning them over.

Jaune nodded.

"I know what you mean. It's like, I felt more powerful, yet like I had been that powerful all along. Does that make sense?"

Pyrrha shook her head.

"Nothing has made any goddamn sense after I agreed to come to this fucking school." She looked up at him. "But yeah, I guess what your description is pretty accurate."

She sighed.

"Thanks."

Jaune smiled. Maybe being her partner wasn't going to be so bad after all.

A loud Beowolf howl interrupted his thoughts.

 _Shit! That came from the north and it sounded close!_

Evidently Pyrrha agreed. She dropped down into her combat stance and extended her claws.

"Wait!" Jaune raised a hand to placate her. She glared at him.

"What?"

"Grimm are attracted to negative emotions, and no offense, but your rant probably gave off a ton of them. A whole herd of Grimm could be coming this way. Beowolves, Ursas, Creeps, and maybe even some Alphas and higher level Grimm, like a Deathstalker."

Pyrrha shifted her weight from foot to foot.

"Okay, so what do we do?"

"If we're careful we might be able to sneak away. Just try not to give of more negative emotions."

Pyrrha stared at him.

"THAT'S your plan?" she hissed. "Sneak around the horde of monsters and be sure to think happy thoughts?"

"Uh… yeah" said Jaune sheepishly. It had sounded a lot better in his head.

Pyrrha glared at him.

"Okay then, lead on oh Fearless Leader," her voice was dripping with sarcasm.

But then again, she did tell him to take the lead, and Jaune would take that nickname over Vomit Boy any day.

"Right, follow me."

They slowly made their way west, away from the Grimm calls that they could hear. After a while they ran into a cliff face blocking their way. Since there was a clear area between the forest and the cliff, they decided to turn north. Pyrrha kept an eye out in front of them and Jaune kept his eyes on the trees.

After walking for what felt like a little over ten minutes, Pyrrha saw something.

"Hey Jaune, check this out."

Jaune took his eyes off the forest and saw that Pyrrha was examining something on the cliff near a cave.

"You gonna use my real name now?" he asked, walking over to her.

"I'm working on your nickname Vomit Boy and Blondie aren't very original, and Fearless Leader takes too long to say. Anyway, check this out," Pyrrha gestured to some crude red pictures that had been drawn on the cliff face. It was a bunch of small stick figures with spears pushing an enormous scorpion away, towards the cave.

Jaune paled.

"What, what is it?" asked Pyrrha.

Jaune took a deep breath.

"I think these drawings are a warning that a Deathstalker lives in that cave."

"You mentioned that thing before, what is it?"

"One of the nastiest Grimm on Remnant. It's like a supersized scorpion, twenty feet long*, not counting the tail. Huge deadly pincers, even deadlier stinger. Nigh impenetrable armor on top and the bottom's too low to the ground to attack. The sort of Grimm freshmen at Beacon should NOT be messing with."

To Jaune's dismay, Pyrrha looked at the cave with interest.

"You think the relics are in there?" she asked.

Jaune blinked.

"What?"

"Think about it. After that shit he pulled on the cliff it wouldn't surprise me at all if that four-eyed fucker decided to put the relics right next to a giant Grimm."

Jaune had to admit that she had a point. Placing the relics right next to a particularly deadly Grimm would make for a killer final challenge. But something told him that this wasn't the right place.

"No, I don't think the relics are in there. For one thing, Ozpin said they'd be in some ruins, not a cave."

Pyrrha crossed her arms.

"And we should trust that old fuck because-?"

"He's our Headmaster!"

"He's a senile old fart who likes fucking with kids' heads. You saw the way he was smirking when I backed off the launch pad. You know, like any sane person WITHOUT Aura would."

"There was no way for him to know that!" protested Jaune.

"Whatever. Are Ozzy's instructions the only reason you think the relics aren't here?" asked Pyrrha.

"No," said Jaune, glad to be back on topic. "We took a lot of time fighting and avoiding Grimm. I'm pretty sure at least one pair has made it to the ruins by now. If they were here, then we'd likely see the aftermath of a battle, because fighting a Deathstalker in an enclosed area is practically suicide and the fighters would have to lure it out here. The area's untouched and I'm not hearing anything from inside the cave so none of our classmates have fought here, therefore it's unlikely anything of interest is here."

Pyrrha gave him a look.

"Ever hear the rule of K.I.S.S.? Keep It Simple Shithead? I wanted an answer, not a speech."

Jaune scratched the back of his head.

"A-heh, sorry."

"Whatever Motor-Mouth. Let's get moving."

As they turned away from the cave Jaune internally sighed at his new nickname.

 _At least it's not as ba-_

There, in just coming out of the forest ahead, was a Grimm that made his blood freeze. It was three or four feet tall, and six feet long. It stood on two legs in the center of its body and that body was horizontal. Small, sharp, uneven armor plating was spread over the top half of the Grimm, not solid enough to block blows but sharp enough to cut. It was turned sideways to them, and Jaune could just make out the jagged lines of its mouth.

A Creep.

Jaune bolted over to Pyrrha and clamped a hand over her mouth.

"MMPH!" Pyrrha struggled and started to wind up a punch.

"SHH!" hissed Jaune, he pointed towards the Creep. It had thankfully turned away from them but wasn't going anywhere fast.

Pyrrha saw it and rolled her eyes.

"I know it looks like a pushover but that's a Creep. When they see someone, they make a loud shriek, attracting any nearby Grimm," whispered Jaune, gesturing his head towards the cave.

Pyrrha also glanced back at the cave, then looked back at Jaune and nodded. He released her.

"Don't do that again," she hissed.

Jaune nodded, and they began to make their way towards the forest. They had to move slowly, but they were succeeding. The Creep was just shuffling around aimlessly, its back to them. As long as they didn't make any loud noises, they'd be fine.

Right as they were at the edge of the trees, Jaune's foot came down on a dead twig.

'SNAP'

The Creep whipped around and reared its head.

"CRAEEEEEEEE!"

Pyrrha sprinted forward and lunged, burying both sets of claws hilt deep in the Creep's neck. She tore out its throat but the damage had been done.

"SKREEEEEEEEE!"

Jaune looked at the cave and saw giant glowing orange eyes approaching quickly.

He turned to Pyrrha.

"RUN!"

One glance at the giant scorpion was all the convincing Pyrrha needed, and she took off after Jaune and into the forest. The Deathstalker right on their heels, knocking trees out of the way and letting out more of its insect roars.

At that moment Pyrrha and Jaune achieved something extraordinary. Something that even most veteran Huntsmen struggled to do with their partners.

They though perfectly in sync.

 _FUUUUUUUCK!_

* * *

 **Yes, Creeps are cannon in RWBY. No, they don't actually call other Grimm when they see people. I made that up because it was the only way I could work in the Deathstalker fight, and honestly, how could I not have the Deathstalker fight.**

 **If you have any ideas for what Pyrrha to call her classmates I'd appreciate it if you'd share. I still need ideas for Blake and Ren. Keep in mind if you want to suggest something then the nickname needs to be based on what Pyrrha knows about the character. She can't just look at Blake and start calling her Pussy Cat or Pervert because Pyrrha wouldn't know that.**

 **Oh, and happy holidays! (uploaded Dec 26)**


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